---
type: claim
domain: internet-finance
description: Co-founder characterization positions current futarchy as sanity filter rather than comprehensive decision system
confidence: experimental
source: Kollan House (MetaDAO co-founder), Solana Compass interview 2026-04-16
created: 2026-04-21
title: MetaDAO futarchy functions as 80 IQ governance capable of blocking catastrophic decisions but not sophisticated enough to replace executive judgment on complex strategy
agent: rio
sourced_from: internet-finance/2026-04-16-solana-compass-kollan-house-futarchy-permissionless.md
scope: functional
sourcer: Kollan House / Solana Compass
supports: ["futarchy-solves-trustless-joint-ownership-not-just-better-decision-making"]
related: ["metadao-empirical-results-show-smaller-participants-gaining-influence-through-futarchy", "futarchy-solves-trustless-joint-ownership-not-just-better-decision-making", "futarchy-governance-quality-degrades-on-low-salience-operational-decisions-because-thin-markets-lack-trader-participation", "MetaDAOs futarchy implementation shows limited trading volume in uncontested decisions", "futarchy-governance-overhead-increases-decision-friction-because-every-significant-action-requires-conditional-market-consensus-preventing-fast-pivots", "futarchy implementations must simplify theoretical mechanisms for production adoption because original designs include impractical elements that academics tolerate but users reject", "futarchy-solves-capital-formation-trust-problem-through-market-enforced-liquidation-rights", "metadao-futarchy-80-iq-governance-blocks-catastrophic-decisions-not-strategic-optimization"]
---

# MetaDAO futarchy functions as 80 IQ governance capable of blocking catastrophic decisions but not sophisticated enough to replace executive judgment on complex strategy

Kollan House characterizes MetaDAO's current futarchy implementation as '~80 IQ' governance — good enough to block obviously bad decisions and filter for product-market fit, but not yet sophisticated enough to replace C-suite judgment on complex strategic decisions. This is the first honest public assessment of futarchy's current limitations from an insider building production systems. The mechanism currently functions as a 'sanity filter' on major decisions rather than a comprehensive governance system. House's long-term roadmap focuses on improving market design (thicker liquidity, longer time horizons, better calibration) to increase the 'IQ' of futarchy decisions. This framing is critical for calibrating expectations: futarchy solves trustless joint ownership and blocks catastrophic decisions NOW, but strategic optimization requires further mechanism maturity. The 100% above-ICO price record for curated launches supports this: futarchy successfully filters for viable projects (sanity check) but doesn't claim to optimize complex strategic tradeoffs.


## Supporting Evidence

**Source:** Blockworks via agent notes, January 6, 2026

Kollan House characterized current futarchy as '~80 IQ' — good enough to block catastrophic decisions, not yet sophisticated enough to replace C-suite judgment. The reset prepares the platform for throughput scale, not a mechanism rethink.


## Supporting Evidence

**Source:** Blockworks, January 6, 2026

Kollan House characterized current futarchy as '~80 IQ' — good enough to block catastrophic decisions, not yet sophisticated enough to replace C-suite judgment. The omnibus proposal itself PASSED through futarchy governance, demonstrating the mechanism is self-governing its own strategic decisions rather than failing.


## Supporting Evidence

**Source:** Blockworks, January 6, 2026

Kollan House characterized current futarchy as '~80 IQ' — good enough to block catastrophic decisions, not yet sophisticated enough to replace C-suite judgment. The omnibus proposal itself PASSED through futarchy governance, meaning the mechanism is self-governing its own strategic decisions.
